


Angels and Psychics

by thatonekid_gotakunerd



Series: Nymphverse (Supernatural) [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean and Sam Go Hunting, Other, Suicide mention, and transphobia, but the male OCs are different, demons arent the only ones with bad ideas, enjoy, get some back up, i guess, idc, or don't and be confused, part of the case they're working, read the first one first please, some abuse mentioned, some homophobic language, they meet some monsters, this is a part two, trigger warning for transphobic language, welcome to season twelve and a half, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 13:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18591775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatonekid_gotakunerd/pseuds/thatonekid_gotakunerd
Summary: Sam and Dean go on a hunt, but it turns out to be a little familiar and a little bit more than they can chew. They call Cas and a new friend for some back up.The case doesn't go exactly the way they expect, but all's well that ends well, and there's information to be gained.Please be mindful that there is some harsh transphobic and homophobic language. It's spewed from a specifically abusive character, but it could still be upsetting. Take care of yourselves. There is also one reference to suicide. It's not very graphic, but be warned.





	Angels and Psychics

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y'all! I now understand why it takes fic writers so long to update, haha. Kudos to every single one of you who manages some sort of consistency. I am not going to pretend that I have a prayer. Enjoy this for now, and uh... sorry?

The serrated blade cut clean through the vampire's neck, sending blood into the air. Sam stepped back, wiping his face with his sleeve. 

"That's the lot of them," Dean said. He wiped the blades clean and stored them in the Impala's trunk.

"So," Sam said. "Back to the bunker?”

"Come on, Sammy! Let's get a beer first."

"I'm going back to the motel."

Dean shrugged, still smiling. It was good to see him closer to his happier self, although Sam suspected that he wouldn't be going to hit on any bartenders tonight. Dean was still somewhere in denial, but it was clear that his interests lately were far more specific, far more invested. But he'd figure it out in his own time. He was doing better than Cas was on that front. 

Sam woke up just a few hours later when his phone started ringing. He groped blindly for it in the dark, trying to find it by sound before giving up and flipping on the bedside lamp. 

"Yeah?" He cleared hi throat. 

"I think we've got another problem," Dean said, voice muffled by the sounds of the bar on the other end. "I just watched someone - and not a cute chick someone, I mean a little handsome, if you like that sort of thing - get drinks for free just by asking. Got someone's watch the same way." 

"Wait - like Andy?" Sam sat up. 

"I don't know," Dean said. "But I think we need to find out."

"I'll be right there."

It had been years since the yellow-eyed demon had died and, with him, Sam's visions. By that point he'd been the last of the powered children Azazael made. 

Either there had been another Prince of Hell running around feeding babies demon blood or this was something entirely new. 

"Could they be a Nymph?"

"Maybe," Dean said. "But I didn’t think that had that sort of specific control. I think this is something else."

It wasn't long before Sam reached the bar. 

"That's him," Dean muttered, gesturing to a dark-bearded man behind him. 

The man was fairly average looking-- dirty blond hair and a medium build. Sam studied him a moment, watching the darts he hurled at the corkboard. The throws weren't very accurate.

He looked back at Dean. "So, what are you thinking? Follow him?"

Dean shook his head. "I tried that with Andy, remember?"

"Right," Sam grinned. "And -- if I recall -- he talked you into giving up the Impala."

Dean glared. "Anyways, I doubt you're still immune, so we'll need to be more careful, or maybe we should call for backup."

"We don't know how he's doing this or what he is, Dean. Who are you think of calling?" 

"I don't know -- Eileen maybe , or Aneia?"

"Aneia?

"She said that Nymphs always have some influence over each other. They live resisting mind control crap, right?"

"Yeah, but like you said, this magic seems different."

"Okay, so what about Eileen?"

Sam shook his head. "She's hunting a shifter down in Florida right now. We need to know more before we try anything."

"And how're we supposed to do that when this guy could make us do anything?" Dean studied the man. He had to know what he was doing. It couldn't be normal, getting drinks for free like that. "I'll ask around -- see if any of those other guys know our mystery friend's name, and then I guess we should hit the lore."

Sam pulled out his laptop while Dean approached the nearest patron, a young brunette. 

The first thing Sam did was check for omens. He didn't know exactly how old the man wasn was, so he made his best estimate. Not long after he'd started, he stumbled across a report of an accident about twenty-nine years ago -- a victim had been brought into a morgue with her eyes burned out. 

It wasn’t what he’d been expecting. Sam dug through the reports for more information, but most of it was censored. He looked over at Dean, who was chatting up bar patrons and drinking another beer. Could angels grant psychic powers like demons? The incident could be more tangentially related. Perhaps a demon was there, and the accident was a resulting clash between demon and angel. 

There wasn’t enough information to know. He sighed, and texted Cas. They were going to be here longer than they expected, and they could probably use some back up. 

He ordered some food and waited for Dean to come to the conclusion of his own investigation. 

“Hey.”

Sam turned toward the new voice. 

“Did you come here alone?” 

She was pretty, leaning towards him across the table with her blue-dyed hair framing her face. Sam smiled awkwardly. Normally, Dean attracted the girls, whether or not he was trying to, and he was usually trying to. 

She sat down across from him, returning his smile with a more genuine one. He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. I mean, no. I’m here with my brother, but he’s,” Sam paused as he looked around. He couldn’t see Dean. He tried not to let his concern show. Dean was a grown-up. He could handle himself in most situations, and it was a bar -- Dean was easily distracted. 

“Flirting?” She laughed. 

“Yeah,” Sam chuckled a little. “Probably.” If it had been any other situation, he wouldn’t have worried, but he couldn’t see the other man either. Dean wasn’t immune to mind control. Something could be very wrong. “Sorry, could you excuse me for a moment?” 

The girl seemed a little disappointed, but Sam didn’t have time to feel particularly guilty. He checked the bar again. He couldn’t see either of them. He moved towards the bathroom first, just to check, but that was a dead end. 

Sam rushed out of the bar. The streets were half-empty, and he couldn’t see the Impala. That was a bad sign. He pulled out his phone and quickly texted Cas. Originally, the angel had stayed at the bunker to continue researching the angel/Nymph connection, sure that the two Winchesters were more than qualified to take on a vampire nest alone. Now that the case was developing into something else entirely and Dean was somewhere off the radar, Sam figured he could use the backup. 

He scouted the street, instinctively falling into a defensive posture as he entered the alleyway behind the bar. The sound of a fist slamming into a wall brought Sam’s gun to his hand. “Who’s there?” He called into semi-darkness. 

“Damn freak got away,” the figure growled. 

“Dean?”

“He mugged me, Sammy,” Dean said. “Talked my wallet out of me then bolted.”

“Alright. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” 

“We need back up. I texted Castiel. He should be on his way.” 

“Okay. I know more about him now. We should head back to the motel. See what we can find out before Cas gets here. Do you think he’ll be enough?” 

“I don’t know. You still thinking about calling Aneia?”

“Yeah. We should. Get in there car. I’ll drive; you text.”

“Wait, Dean. Where’s the Impala?”

“Son of a bitch.”

They ended up walking to the motel. Sam texted. He was surprised when she responded almost immediately, despite the fact that it was well after midnight. 

_ What’s the problem?  _

_ Do Nymphs not sleep?  _ He asked. 

_ We sleep. I’m just bad at it. What do you need?  _

He explained what he could of the situation. 

_ Huh. I’m not sure what they could be, either. Give me the location and I’ll be there as soon as I can.  _

“What’s she saying?”

“She’s coming.” He sent the motel’s address. 

_ Okay. I should be there by tomorrow.  _

Castiel was at the motel when they got there. He stood when he saw them coming, head cocked in mild confusion. 

“He took the car,” Dean muttered before he could ask. 

Sam set himself down on the bed tiredly. It had been a long day, and he hadn’t been expecting to go straight into another complicated case. He pulled his laptop out to continue research and saw the last webpage he’d been on. 

“Hey, Cas,” he said. “Will you take a look at this?” 

The angel scanned the report quickly, taking in the news about the murder. 

“Could this be related?”

“It’s possible. Some angels can grant and remove psychic abilities, but it’s not an easy or pleasant process.”

“When is it?” Dean scoffed. “Let’s get some sleep. There’s nothing more we can do tonight.”

. . .

The next morning came too early. Sam felt groggy and drained. Dean, on the other hand, seemed up and awake. Castiel entered the room with coffees for the three of them. 

“Thanks, Cas,” Dean said, patting his shoulder almost absently. Sam smiled. Castiel seemed happy as well, in his slightly subdued awkward way. “What now?”

“Were you able to get a name?” Sam asked. 

Dean nodded. “James Anderson.”

“Alright. Let’s find him.” As usual, Sam started with the internet, looking for phone numbers, addresses, or employment. He’d tracked down two multiple contacts in the city -- unfortunately, James Anderson wasn’t exactly an uncommon name -- when there was a soft knock on the motel door. 

Castiel opened it to let Aneia in. He stepped back to let her in, and she stepped around him stiffly. Sam nodded to her, and she waved slightly. 

“Thanks for coming,” Dean said. She smiled, then raised her hand in a ‘what’s up?’ motion. “Take a look,” he said, gesturing to Sam and his laptop. She followed his gaze, turning towards Sam. 

Once again, Sam ran through the events since the previous night and what they knew so far. She nodded thoughtfully, expressions flickering across her face as he talked. She was able to telegraph her reactions remarkably clearly without words. 

_ So what’s the plan?  _ She asked. 

“We go find James Anderson. I’ve got it narrowed down to two addresses now.”

_ Okay.  _

“Why don’t we split up so it’s faster?” Dean said. “We can check out both locations at once.”

“Good idea. You take Cas and check out the first house. We’ll get the other one.”

Without the Impala, they were left using public transportation or walking. 

“Wait, how did you get here?”

_ Train.  _ She said simply. 

He nodded. That made sense. She was a quiet presence. Sam realised he hadn’t seen her calm before. It was strange, knowing that she was older than him by far, but still a child. He felt guilty for bringing her into another dangerous situation. 

What did he really know about her? He was startled out of his thoughts as she waved slightly to get his attention. He saw her face draw in an apologetic frown as he jumped. 

Her fist circled her chest quickly, and she tilted her head.  _ Sorry. Are you okay?  _

“Yeah. I’m fine. What’s up?”

She pointed to the house. They were there. 

“Oh, right. Thanks.” 

The house looked nice -- like a run of the mill middle class house. He wouldn’t have picked it out as housing someone with the ability to get whatever they wanted just by asking. He also didn’t see the Impala anywhere. 

_ Should I go with or wait out here?  _

“Uh, we can say it’s a school shadowing opportunity. Let’s go.”

_ Alright.  _

The door opened on the second knock. Sam cleared his throat slightly. “Hi.”

“Can I help you?”

“I’m Detective Gabriel and this is Aneia Patterson. She’s shadowing me. We’re looking for James Anderson.”

“I am he.”

“Great. Can we ask you a few questions?”

“Uh, sure.” 

They followed him into his home. The man seemed normal enough. He was a little shorter than Sam. He had dark brown hair, but other than that, Sam couldn’t tell if it was the same man Dean had pointed out at the bar. He certainly wasn’t dressed the same, although clothes could change. 

“Were you here last night around 11:00 p.m?”

“Can I ask what this is about?”

“There was a car theft last night in the area. We’re trying to find out if anyone saw anything helpful.” 

“Uh, what kind of car?”

Sam pretended to consult his notes. “It was a 1967 black Chevy Impala.” 

Anderson shook his head. “No.  I don’t think anyone around here owns one.”

This conversation seemed to be going nowhere, fast. He glanced over at Aneia. Her face was interested but non-judgemental. 

“And you haven’t seen anything?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Alright. If you do see anything, would call this number?” He handed him a business card. 

“Of course, detective.”

He shook his head as they left the house. That was a dead end. He’d have to hope that Dean and Cas had been more successful. Aneia had a strange look on her face. 

“What is it?”

_ I think we should keep an eye on him. He was deflective.  _

“Lots of people don’t like talking to the police. That’s not a crime in itself,” he sighed. “It’s hard to run a stakeout without a car.”

_ Fair point. What can find out from the others?  _

“Let’s check.” 

. . .

Sam had given them the house farther from the motel, so Cas teleported them about a block away -- just far enough so James Anderson wouldn’t get suspicious. They walked the rest of the way. 

The house seemed a little rundown, peeling paint, chipped wood. Dean knocked sharply on the door. Floors creaked inside as someone approached the door. The door was pulled open by a young twenty-something year old man with light blond hair.

“Yeah?” 

“I’m Detective Allman, this is Detective Herschel. Can we ask you some questions?”

“Did something happen?”

“There was a car stolen nearby. We’re checking the neighbourhood. If you’ve seen anything…”

“What does the car look like?” 

“It’s black,” Castiel said. 

“Uh, okay. We have a few black cars on this street, but I mean, most of ‘em have been here forever.”

“It’s a 1967 Chevy Impala,” Dean said. 

“I, um, I don’t know what that means.” He sounded embarrassed. 

Dean sighed. “Older car, four doors, black body, silver accents.” 

“Sorry. I don’t think I’ve seen anything.” He started to close the door. 

“Wait,” Dean cleared his throat. “Can we get your name? In case we need to contact you again.”

“Yeah. I’m Daniel. Daniel Anderson.”

“Thanks for your help.” 

“Does anyone else live here?” Castiel asked. 

“Uh, yeah. My older brother. But he’s not here right now. He’s at work.”

“Here’s my card,” Dean said. “Let him know we came by, and if either of you remember anything or see anything, give me a call.”

“Sure.” 

“So that wasn’t him.” Castiel said. “Do we wait for his brother to get back?”

“Oh, hold on. Sam’s calling.” Dean picked up his cell phone. “Yeah?”

“You find anything?”

“Not sure,” Dean said, glancing at Castiel. “You?”

“About the same. We were thinking of waiting here for a bit. Seeing what we can see.”

“Okay. We’ll hold down the fort here. Meet back at six?”

“Sure.”

The phone clicked as he hung up. “How do we have a stakeout without the Impala?”

“I can stay nearby, invisible,” Castiel said. 

“And I’ll just stalk the house?”

“Good point.”  

“Relax, Cas. You do your thing. I’ll wait.”

Cas smiled and nodded. Then he was gone. Dean sighed. He hated the uncertainty between them. After everything he’d been through, Castiel was one of the few people he could truly trust. He needed that. 

. . . 

Sam sighed. They’d been watching the house for a couple hours now, and there was no sign of suspicious activity. 

“Hey, can I ask you for a favour?” 

Aneia looked at him, eyebrow raised. 

He ran his hands over each other. He knew it was a little rude to ask, but he’d been thinking about it since they’d met.  “Could you help me with my ASL?” 

She flicked her pointer finger out from her mouth, smiling.  _ Sure.  _

“Thanks. I’m trying to learn, for Eileen.”

Her eyebrows rose. 

“What?”

She nodded towards his hands. 

“Oh! Right.” He cleared his throat, and signed,  _ sorry,  _ slowly, a little clumsily.

_ It’s okay. You -- saying?  _ He missed one of the words, but he got the jist. It was difficult at first -- Aneia’s dialect was a little different -- but just like when he talked with Eileen, the more he got into the conversation, the more natural it felt.  

“We should get going,” he signed. “It’s almost six.”

She nodded and they made their way back to the motel. Dean was waiting for them, but Castiel didn’t seem to be there. 

“Where’s Cas?” Sam asked. 

“He’s watching the other house. We couldn’t talk to James, so he’s waiting for him. I take it you guys struck out?”

“Yeah. Dead end. I don’t think that James Anderson is the one you met at the bar.”

“Alright. Well, not much we can do for now. We wait for Cas, and figure out what to do from there.”

_ Is everything so … improvisational with you three?  _

“Pretty much.”

. . . 

It had been a long time since Cas had relied on his invisibility -- since the Leviathan incident. Still, if this was what the case required. 

He’d sensed something when he and Dean were talking to Daniel that had made him curious. He hadn’t said anything to Dean because it seemed like a bad time, but there was something … off about Daniel’s answers. Not a flat out lie, but something was wrong. He hadn’t wanted to interrogate the kid, but he knew he’d made the right call to stay nearby. 

Watching Daniel move around his own house, the cautious way he interacted with his space, the way he jumped at the slightest noise. In some ways, it reminded him of Sam. He’d been around enough wary, traumatised people to recognise the look. He’d been there himself. 

It was long after six when Daniel’s older brother came home. He didn’t say much, but he matched the description Dean had given Cas from the bar last night. 

“Uh, some police were here,” Daniel said. 

“What?” The older man stood up suddenly, and Daniel took a hesitant step back. 

“They were asking about a car, I didn’t know anything about it, okay?”

“What did you tell them, you dirty trap?” The venom in his words was indescribable. “All this time, I’ve taken care of you since our parents died, and this is the thanks I get? You go and narc to some cops?”

“No! I told you, I didn’t say anything!” His hands came up defensively as his brother grabbed his shirt, shaking him. 

Castiel had seen enough. He was tempted to take Daniel from the situation, but he couldn’t predict what that could do to the case. He may have to let it go for now to fix the situation in the long run. He held back, waiting. 

“If the cops come after me, there’s going to be a whole mess, just like last time, and that’ll be on you. All on you!”

“I’m sorry! James!”

“You better be,” he growled. “Keep making slip ups like that, and I’ll enchant you, too.”

Castiel returned to the motel. 

“I think we found our James Anderson.”

“Oh?” Dean said. 

“Daniel’s older brother. He has magic of some kind.”

“And you think he’s our guy?”

“His name’s James, and he matches your description.”

_ So what’s the plan now?  _ Aneia asked. 

“I think Daniel is in trouble. We should go back for him,” Castiel said. 

“What do you want us to do?” Sam asked. 

“He met Cas and I. If we go back,” Dean said. “It could tip him off. He could bolt. You and Aneia should go.”

“What if he won’t go with us? Are you suggesting we kidnap him?”

“No,” Castiel said. “I will.”

“What?”

“I saw him. He’s in real trouble. We can’t just leave him. If he won’t go, then I think we’ll have to remove him from the situation, for his own good.”

“And you’re gonna zap him out?”

“Only if I have to. Call me if you need back up.”

“Right,” Sam said. 

“In the meantime,” Dean said. “We can hit up the bar, see if we can get a bead on James Anderson.”

“Sounds like a plan. What time did he show up last night?” Sam asked. 

“About 9:30.” 

“We’ve got an hour then. Might as well start heading out.”

_ Wait. What if James is still at home?  _

“We’ll wait til he leaves, text Cas and Dean, then go get Daniel.”

… 

The bar was loud and crowded. Dean didn’t mind -- it was practically his natural habitat -- but Cas seemed uncomfortable. Of course, he never perfectly blended with the humans. They got drinks even though Castiel didn’t really get drunk, and Dean smiled to himself. 

He’d missed this. The quiet moments in between all of the tensions with a beer and a good friend.  _ Or more _ , the little voice in his head told him, but he shrugged off the emotions running through him. He could wait until this case was over to decipher his feelings. 

He ordered a burger while they waited, hungry from the day’s work. “Mm! This is amazing. You’ve got to try some.” He offered the burger to Castiel. 

“Uh, I don’t exactly eat, Dean.” 

“Oh, right. Right.”

Dean’s phone buzzed and he swallowed hastily as he checked his alerts. “Suspects on the way,” he mumbled. “I’ll just finish this up,” he said, taking another large bite of burger. 

…

Sam watched the garage open and the Impala roll out. They had the right house. “Let’s go.” He said. 

The house looked like a lot of the joints he and Dean had been around -- dirty and a little dark. He and Aneia headed up the steps and knocked on the door. The door swung open, revealing the shadowed inside and a slender figure. 

“Are you Daniel Anderson?” Sam asked.

“Uh, yes? Can I help you?” He’d stepped a little closer, out of the shadows, though still partially shielded by the door frame. 

“We need to talk about your brother.”

Daniel stepped backwards. “I- I’m sorry. I have to go.”

Sam started forward, but Aneia held her hand up. She gestured to the interior of the house, placing her other hand against the door gently. 

“Who are you? What do you want?”

She glanced nervously at Sam before signing slowly to high. 

“She’s Aneia. We here to help you. We just want to talk.” 

She kept going. 

“May we come in?”

Sam wasn’t waiting for an answer. He knew that forcing the issue was a terrible idea, but they needed to talk Daniel down. He stepped through the threshold, and Daniel scrambled back out of his way. He heard Aneia follow softly. 

She shut the door with a light click, and Sam felt himself twitch. Daniel jumped nervously. 

“Listen, Daniel,” Sam said, hands out placatingly. “We don’t want to hurt you.” 

Daniel looked between the two of them. 

“We know about your brother. We’re going to deal with him, but we don’t want you to get hurt when we do. Come with us.”

“Please, you don’t understand. He’s just hurting.” 

Aneia stepped towards him “I’ve known people like your brother,” Sam interpreted for her. “You don’t need to get hurt, uh -- sorry, I don’t know that one.”

_ L-E-T,  _ Aneia spelled out.  _ Let us help you.  _

“Let us help you,” Sam said. 

Daniel swallowed. “It’s not his fault. He’s cursed.”

“We have some experience with curses. Why don’t you tell us what’s going on?” 

“Where do you want to go?” He said quietly. 

. . .

It wasn’t long before James Anderson entered the bar. Dean nodded towards him, signaling Cas. 

They came up behind Anderson and Dean slung an arm around his shoulder, manuvering the man between Castiel and himself. “Why don’t we take this outside.”

Cas didn’t give him a chance to respond, teleporting the three of them outside. James Anderson stumbled away from them, dazed and disoriented. 

“You’re an angel,” he spat. 

Cas looked over at Dean. 

“Why now? What do you want?” Anderson asked. 

“Why are you terrorising people?”

“Terrorising? I’m just doing what I have to to get by.” 

“And what about what you did to Daniel?”

“That whore? She’s a parasite. She’s nothing but a drain, and still I’ve taken care of her for seven years. She ought to be grateful.”

Dean stared. “Alright. You’re coming with us.”

“No,” Anderson said. “You’re going to let me go.”

Dean could feel the weight behind his words, and without thinking about it, he let go. The man tried to wrench out of Castiel’s grip, but the angel held on. 

Dean tried to tackle him but felt his body stop at Anderson’s command. He couldn’t fight like this. Anderson swung wildly. Cas dodged, shoving him hard against the alley wall. Dean could feel his blood pounding in his ears. He hated battles like this, battles where he couldn’t even control himself. He felt helpless. 

Anderson stumbled to his feet at the other side of the alley. 

“Stand down,” Castiel said. 

“Your kind ruined my life! You lifted me up, gave me powers, than dropped me on my ass like garbage. I suffered alone because of you! Where were you before, all those times I prayed?”

“So you take it out on your brother?” Dean snapped. 

“Brother? Please. You’ve met her. She’s just some dyke playing dress up. Taking advantage of my charity.” James spat red on the ground. He charged. 

Cas’s raised his arms, but the man practically barrel through him. His angel blade came up at the last second, stabbing through Anderson’s stomach before he could reach Dean. He slumped, dead. 

. . .

Daniel fidgeted glancing between Sam and the motel room door. The scene was strikingly similar to his first meeting with Aneia. Maybe all troubled kids had that in them. 

“It’ll sound crazy,” Daniel said. 

“Try me, us.”

“I mean, really, really crazy, sir. Like, stuff you wouldn’t believe.”

Sam looked at Aneia. “Can I?” She nodded ambivalently. 

“This is Aneia. She’s not human.”

“What?” He jolted back. 

“She’s something called a Nymph. It’s okay. They can be good or not, just like people.”

Daniel looked at Aneia. “And…” he stopped himself. “You don’t say a lot.”

“Your - find, pick, uh,” he ran through the possible words in his head. “Choose -- Choice?” Aneia nodded. “Your choices should be your own.” Sam translated. “See Nymphs can create empathy, make people understand their feelings. And they can’t really turn it off.”

“Wait, like, persuade people?”

_ I won’t. I don’t.  _ Aneia said quickly. She looked at him.  _ I’m not going to hurt you.  _

“Okay,” Daniel said. “Okay. So you know … crazy.”

“We do. We’ll believe you,” Sam said. “Now. Tell us everything.”  

“I-- I can tell you what I know, but James, there are some things he never talks about.”

“That’s okay. Just, what do you know?”

“When we were younger, our parents said an angel visited. Our neighbour tried to host it, but she wasn’t strong enough. It… it burnt her up. But it gave James these … powers. It said he was supposed grow up, lead others against some kind of demon revolt.” He took a shuddering breath. 

“It turned James cruel. He, he got meaner as he got more powerful. And then one day, the angel came back, and it took our dad, and it said that they’d been watching him and he’d failed them somehow or another. They, they threatened to take his powers away, uh, and he fought back.”

Sam moved cautiously towards him. Daniel’s gaze, which had mostly been directed at the floor, snapped up, wide and more than a little nervous. “Sorry. I’ll get t-to the point.”

“No, hey,” Sam said. “You’re doing fine. Are you okay?”

Daniel nodded hurriedly. “Yeah. Um, our dad, the angel’s vessel, he died in the fight. Mom held on for a while, but about seven years ago, I was thirteen and James was twenty-two, they got in a big fight. And James…” 

“It’s okay. Take it slow.”

“He made her kill herself. He told her he wished she would just get hit be a train, and then, she did. He said, claimed, he hadn’t meant it like that, but he … he wasn’t even sad. He didn’t care.”

Sam let out a breath. “I’m sorry. That’s a lot for anyone to bear.”

He shrugged in response. “That’s life, I guess. My life, at least.”

_ How old are you?  _ Aneia asked. Sam repeated the question. 

“Uh, twenty, now.”

“So why do you still live with your brother?”

“I’m trying to get through college. He said I could go, if I paid for it and still contributed to the bills. James always said he didn’t house freeloaders.”

“Okay.” Sam’s phone went off. “Hold on.”

He left the room to take the call. Aneia pulled out her notebook to write.  _ You’re safe here. I know what it’s like to be controlled. Angels have some power over us, too. I promise I won’t do anything against your will.  _

“Thanks,” he said. 

_ You don’t need thank me. You deserve that much.  _

“Now I know you’re telling the truth,” he smiled slightly. “Because that’s pretty hard to believe.”

_ I know,  _ Aneia said. There was a pain in her eyes, but it was laced with humor.  _ But it’ll get easier the more you hear it.  _

In the other room, Sam was on the phone with Dean. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“We’re fine. James is dead. We couldn’t stop him any other way. Is the kid okay?”

“Yeah. We got Daniel. He’s safe.”

“Alright. We’re on our way back.”

He headed back. Daniel looked up as he entered the room, tensing. He and Aneia seemed more comfortable around each other, at least. He didn’t seem quite as stiff as he had before. 

“Listen, Daniel. Our partners are coming back, but before they do, you need to know a few things, okay?”

“What is it?”

“Our partners -- you’ve met them. They’re the officers who showed up to talk to you. And one of them’s an angel.”

“What?”

“He’s not going to hurt you either.”

“What happened? Did they find James?”

“They did.” He ran his hands over each other. “But … it didn’t go well. I’m sorry, Daniel,” Sam said. “Your brother didn’t make it.”

Daniel buried his head in his hands, tugging his fingers through his hair. “This is all my fault.”

Aneia lightly touched his shoulder. He still flinched. She just laid her palm gently against his arm and shook her head before moving back. 

_ Not. your. fault.  _ She signed pointedly. 

“She says it’s not. Your fault, that is.”

“Thank you.”

…

Dean and Cas arrived at the motel, blood still spattered on their clothes. Dean opened the door to the hotel room. 

“Ugh, I’m exhausted,” Dean said. Out of his peripheral vision, he noticed movement and pulled gun, spinning to face the other wall. 

The kid jumped back, hands up. Sighing, Dean lowered his weapon. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startled you.”

“It’s Daniel, right?” Castiel asked. 

He nodded mutely, eyes fixed on the angel. 

“I’m sorry things turned out this way, Daniel. We’re going to get you somewhere safe.”

“Y-you. It’s more than enough. I mean,” he seemed flustered. “Thank you, sir.”

“You don’t have to thank us,” Dean said. “It’s our job.”

That only seemed to confuse him. 

“Dean!” Sam said. “Cas! You’re back.”

“Safe and sound, Sammy. What’s the plan now?”

_ I know a few places,  _ Aneia wrote.  _ Kye and I have moved around a bit, and we don’t exactly look old enough to rent our own motel rooms.  _

“No!” Daniel said. He jumped at the sound of his own voice and stammered out a muffled apology. 

“It’s okay,” Sam said. “What is it?”

“I can’t go just anywhere. I, uh--” He seemed torn and anxious. “I’mtrans-uhtransgender, so--” Daniel looked to be on the verge of hyperventilating. He wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze. 

“Okay,” Dean said. “So?” 

“Dean!” Sam said. 

“I just mean, what does that mean, for finding a safe place for you?”

“I’m not sure. I tried to look into it once, but James, he didn’t like it.” 

“What about Jody?” Cas asked. “She took Alex and Claire in. She had a son before, right?”

“We can ask,” Sam said. “But we can’t expect her to…” he glanced at Daniel. “We need a plan B, in case Jody doesn’t have the resources to take in more kids.”

“I understand,” Daniel said. “It’s okay. I’m an adult. I can find my own way.”

“You’ve still got two years of college, right?”

Daniel nodded. 

“Then we’ll find you somewhere you can stay for the next two years. You don’t have to go this alone.”

“I can work.”

“We’ll worry about that later. Let’s call Jody, see what she says.”

_ I’ll look up LGBTQ+ friendly safe houses, as a backup. I told you, I have some experience. I can do this. We’ll make sure that wherever you end up going, it’s somewhere that will respect who you are.  _ Aneia wrote. 

Dean called Jody. She picked up on the second ring. “Dean?” 

“Hey, Jody. There’s something I need to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“How would you feel about taking in another kid?” He glanced back into the other room where Daniel sat, staring at his hands. 

“What happened?”

“We were working a case, and we sort of … killed this kid’s older brother.”

“What?”

Dean did his best to catch her up on the situation. “So? What do you think?”

“Well, I’ll have to talk to Claire and Alex, make sure they’re okay with adding another member to the family.” 

“But they’ll be okay with the, you know?”

“Yes. They’re both accepting girls. That won’t be an issue.”

“Okay. Good.”

“I’ll call you back in a bit.”

“Alright.”

“So?” Sam said as he re-entered the main room. 

“Jody wants to talk to Alex and Claire first, make sure they’re okay with having another sibling, but if they’re on board, she’s on board.”

“Well, that’s great. She gonna call you back?”

“Yup.”

. . . 

They ended up driving Daniel down to Jody’s place. Claire was waiting for them outside, back from whatever hunt she’d been on. 

“Hey, Claire!” Dean said, pulling her into a one armed hug. 

“Hey, Dean.”

“Where’s Jody?’

“She had to run out for some supplies. Asked me to be here when you guys showed up.” Her sight landed on Daniel. “Hey, man. I’m Claire.”

“Daniel.”

“Nice to meet you. Wanna take a look around?”

“Uh, sure.”

He followed her in. He still seemed a little edgy, but he’d relaxed some. The Winchesters watched him settle in and had dinner with Jody before getting ready to head back to the bunker. 

“Hey, thanks for the assist,” Dean said. 

_ No problem.  _ Aneia said.  _ Pretty sure you could have handled that yourselves, but don’t hesitate to call. It’s always an adventure.  _

“Yeah,” he said. “It is that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo… that's this one. I've realised that I'm basically planning to write a mini-season sort of between twelve and thirteen, but like I said, more people are alive and stuff. Not exactly cannon compliant. Idk. Anyways, there's a part three on way; partially written. It'll probably still take forever and a day to get it done tho.


End file.
